2017 is our first year as a network, and already much has been accomplished. If you are researching care-leaving in Africa, please consider joining ANCR by completing the membership application form AND by following our blog. We would love to make contact with you.

In June 2017, an invited symposium on leaving care was hosted by Prof Adrian van Breda (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) at the Pathways to Resilience IV Conference, in Cape Town, South Africa. Prof Robbie Gilligan (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland), Dr Kwabena Frimpong-Manso (University of Ghana) and Dr Sue Bond (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) presented research on the role of the community in facilitating the care-leaving process – their presentations can be downloaded here. In addition, separate papers or posters on care-leaving were presented by Mamelani (an NGO in Cape Town, South Africa, that works with various children’s homes to facilitate successful care-leaving), Ms Joyce Hlungwani and Prof Adrian van Breda. We had a good representation at the conference and introduced care-leaving research to the global resilience community. Here’s a photo of a group of us who met afterwards to talk more about care-leaving research:

In September this year, Prof Adrian van Breda (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) will be presenting ANCR to the International Research Network on
Leaving Care (INTRAC) in Oslo, Norway. This is an ‘international’ network that has, until now, not had representation from most of the Global South, including Africa. Adrian will be presenting the research on care-leaving that is emerging from Africa and the role of ANCR in drawing together these researchers. It is hoped that this will result in ANCR being made a member of INTRAC.

In October this year, three of our members will be presenting their care-leaving research at the Social Work 2017 conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prof Adrian van Breda (University of Johannesburg, South Africa), Dr Lisa Dickens (Girls and Boys Town South Africa) and Ms Rajeshree Moodley (University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa) will be presenting in a seminar on care-leaving. Charles Dziro (University of Zimbabwe) will also be presenting on foster and residential care.

We are pleased with the efforts made by ANCR to increase the visibility of research on care-leaving at these various forums. If you are aware of others, please do let us know.